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" Ani Jehovah Ropheka." 
'I am the Lord that healeth thee. ' Ex. xv: 26. 



SUS A PHYSICIAN. 



THE EXPERIENCE OF 



MRS, ANNA L THOMPSON. 



-* 




Published by 

LAUER & MATTILL, 

Cleveland, O. 

FOR THK EDITOR. 

1889. 







Co^right, 1889, 
By S. F. Hancock, (y^ 



All rights reserved. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Chapter I. — Healed after Eighteen Years 

of Suffering. 7 

Chapter II. — Healed of Pneumonia. - 25 

Chapter III. — Opening of the Ministry of 

Healing. ------ 44 

Chapter IV. — Opening of the Work in Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 68 



Appendix. - Notes by the Editor. - - - 85 

Inaugural Gift of Rev. W. H. 
Wilson. 99 



The following sketch is presented for the honor 
of Jesus. The subject of it desires that he, and 
not herself, shall be seen in the whole. May 
God give it wings, as a narrative of his grace, 
that it may bring the knowledge of his loving 
kindness and saving power to his need}' ones 
everywhere. 



JESUS A PHYSICIAN, 

The Experience of Mrs. Anna L. Thompson. 



CHAPTER I. 

Healed after Eighteen Years of Suffering. 



Even when a child I felt that the Lord intended 
to send me out into his work. I often had 
thoughts of going to India as a missionary. I 
would sometimes go off alone and pray, and at 
such seasons had great freedom with the Lord. 
It almost seemed as if I could hear him tell me 
his will. 

After I had grown up I had much sorrow. 
My first husband died in Andersonville prison. I 
afterwards married again, assuming my present 
name. In the year 1863, a short time after my 
second marriage, I was going with a friend one 
evening to the post-office in the village of Sheak- 
levville, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. We had 
(7) 



g The Injury. 

occasion to cross a bridge over the creek. A 
horse had broken through the bridge, and a por- 
tion of the timber had been taken awa} T in pre- 
paration for repairing. On account of the dark- 
ness we did not see a board which had been 
placed in warning of the danger. Both of us fell 
through. The distance of the fall was about 
twenty-two feet. My companion fell into the 
muddy bottom of the creek, and was less severe- 
ly hurt than I, though she has never been well 
since. I struck the back of my neck on a log, 
and was taken home insensible. The results were 
ver}^ serious. Physicians differed in their views 
of the case ; but nry spine was injured, and I was 
otherwise hurt internally. I had chills, lost my 
voice for a long time, and m} T sufferings were 
very great. Sometimes I lay insensible, nry 
friends having to work with me to bring me to 
consciousness. Many times I have had these 
attacks in church, and have been carried out. A 
physician from Jamestown, Pennsylvania, said 
that my lungs were affected, and pronounced my 
disease quick consumption. From the day of my 
injury for eighteen } T ears I was an invalid. 



Medical Treatment. 9 

In the year 1S72 we removed to Erie. For 
several years I continued a sufferer, able most of 
the time to go about, but sometimes in bed, and 
never waking up in the morning without pain. 
In the year 1879 a female physician, electropath- 
ie, took my case in charge. She believed that 
the difficult}" was spinal, and was encouraged to 
think that with her method of treatment she 
could deal with it. Her efforts, however, did not 
prove successful ; and, after consultation with 
another physician, the existence of an internal 
tumor was discovered, the result, as they believed, 
of my fall. I submitted to a surgical opera- 
tion, and the tumor was removed. At first the 
sore gave promise of healing, but it broke out 
again, and, several physicians, pronounced it a 
cancer. The afflicted part was greatly swollen, 
and my body distorted. It seemed as if I suf- 
fered every thing I could suffer, and live. 

After the operation I remained in the physi- 
cian's house for five weeks, becoming so much 
worse that my friends thought I could not live. 
I was then taken home, and my family physician, 
a homeopathist, was called to attend me. I re- 



10 To the Hospital. 

mained at home for something over three months 
when the doctor advised removal to a hospital,, 
as it was impossible for me to have the requisite 
attention at home. He gave me the encourage- 
ment of his opinion that if I should go, I might, 
with careful nursing, get upon my feet again, but 
he said that I should never be well. Other phy- 
sicians, however, did not think it possible that I 
could ever stand again. The only hospital ia 
Erie was one under Roman Catholic management. 
To this I was taken on Friday, the ninth day of 
January, 1880, a day well fixed in my memory. 
In my diary, under that date, is the following : 
"Dreary day. Very homesick. Sisters very kind 
to me. What should I do without thee, my dear 
Saviour ! " 

I continued in the hospital over four months. 
The whole period of this sickness was about nine 
months. During the greater part of this time I 
could not sit up, could not move from side to 
side, or turn at all, but was compelled to lie con- 
stantly on my back. I had never heard of an}" 
one being healed b}~ faith in Jesus. I should 
have thought it a sin to ask to be relieved from 



Iii the Hospital. \\ 

my sickness. I believed it was God's will for me 
to lie there and suffer, and I would pray for pa- 
tience and cheerfulness, that those who came to 
see me might not see the agony on m}- face. 
Praise God! He answered the prayer. If I had not 
thought it God's will for me to suffer, T should 
not have been able to bear it. I would pray that 
the Lord would bless the means used. Just be- 
fore taking the medicine I would say to the nurse, 
wait, Sister, till I pray. The Lord would always 
answer the prayer with a sense of peace and a 
consciousness that he had heard. It seems won- 
derful as I think of it. I always kept my little 
Bible under my pillow or in my hand. When I 
was in such suffering that I could not pray I 
would hold the Bible close to my bosom. 

At the time I commenced to receive the electri- 
cal treatment I was in the habit of visiting a girl 
in the Home of the Friendless, who was sick with 
consumption. I used to read the Bible, and sing 
for her. Just before she died she gave me a 
copy of the following piece of poetry, which she 
prized very highly. 



12 The Guiding Hand. 

The Guiding Hand. 
1. 
Is this the way, my Father ? — 

'Tis, my child ; 
Thou must pass through this tangled, dreary wild, 
If thou wouldst reach the city undefiled, 
Thy peaceful home above. 

2. 

But foes are all around. — 

Yes, child, I know : 

Where least expecting, there thou'lt find a foe ; 

But victor thou shalt prove o'er all below, 

Only seek strength above. 

My Father, it is dark. — 

Child, take my hand ; 
Cling close to me. I'll lead thee through the land ; 
Trust my all-seeing care ; so shalt thou stand 
Midst glory bright above. 

4. 
My footsteps seem to slide. — 

Child, only raise 

Thine eye to me, then in these slippery ways 
I'll hold thy goings up ; and thou shalt praise 
Me for each step, above. 



The Sickle Promise. 13 

5. 

Father. I faint.— 

Child, then incline thy head 

Upon my breast. It was my love that spread 

Thy rugged path ; hope on till I have said, 

Rest, rest, for ever rest. 



These lines were now of great comfort to me. 
Often when despondent I repeated the words, 
"My Father, it is dark." Then the answer would 
seem to come back to me, -'Child, take my hand." 

One day I asked the Lord to give me some 
promise from his Word, if it was his will that I 
should ever be able to walk. I opened my Bible, 
and the word given me was (Joel iii : 13, 14), 
"Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe : 
come, get }~ou down ; for the press is full, the 
fats .overflow ; for their wickedness is great. 
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision : 
for the da}' of the Lord is near in the valle}- of 
decision." (See Note i, p. 86.) I could not under- 
stand what this meant. Then the thought came 
that I was to put in the sickle ; but I wondered 
how I could do it lying there. I prayed the Lord 



14 The "Sisters" 

to show me if there was anything that I could do. 
Just then one of the Sisters came in. I looked 
up and said, Sister, oh, I wish you were ac- 
qainted with my Saviour ! She replied, "Mrs. 
Thompson, I have often thought if you only had 
the true religion, how much good you could do in 
visiting the sick." I told her that if I got well 
I should spend the remainder of my life in vis- 
iting the sick ; and that I also had thought of 
her, how different it would be with her if she 
only knew my Saviour. This was the Sister who 
used to bring my meals. Other words of kindness 
passed between us, and that evening she came to 
me and said, "Mrs. Thompson, I wish you would 
say one of your prayers for me." As I praj-ed 
for her she was deeply affected, and wept. After 
that another Sister took her place in bringing my 
meals, so that 1 did not meet her as before. • 

The Sisters were very attentive to me in my 
sickness- The head nurse Sister Jerome, one 
day brought me a piece of poetry, requesting me 
to keep it by my bed, and read it whenever I 
should be discouraged. I accepted it, and pasted 
it in my little Bible. This sister has since been 



In the Hospital. 15 

made Lady Superior. I regarded her as having 
many noble traits of character. The verses were 
the following : 

Faint Not, Fear Not. 
Life's sky may now be dark and dreary. 
Life's journey rough — thy feet aweary ; 
Faint not. fear not. nor give thy soul to sorrow. 
Life's sky. though dark to-day. may brighter be 
to-morrow, 
The path thou treadest with such pain to-day, 
Thou'lt smoother find when further on thy 
way. 

Life's star may now seem sinking slowly, 

Its starry light extinguished wholly ; 

Faint not, fear not, nor give thee to repining. 

In time 'twill rise — there'll be a future shining, 

Life's course shall then no longer dark or 
dang'rous be ; 

Onward canst thou march, and face eternity. 

Life's sun a sad eclipse may suffer, 

The world no friendly hand may offer ; 

Faint not, fear not. nor wear the look of sadness, 



16 In the Hospital. 

Hope on ; in store for thee there's many an hour 
of gladness ; 
Thy eye shall scarce have strength one day 

to bear 
The look of glory bright life's sun shall wear. 

Fear not, faint not, there's One that's near thee 
To succor give, and kindly cheer thee ; 
To Him appeal ; and, oh ! thy path so dreary, 
Thy path so dark, so lonely, sad and weary, 

Will seem of roses rich, of roses rare ; 

Courage, then ; nor yield thee to despair. 

Fear not, faint not, whate'er assail thee, 

Nor backward turn — 'twill ne'er avail thee ; 

Faint not, fear not, nor shrink before life's crosses ; 

Life's ledger, know, is marked by gains and losses. 
Look up, and bravely struggle to the last, 
Thou wilt rejoice when all the danger's past. 

In asking the Lord what to do for Him, I 
thought of singing. So the Sisters would open 
the doors in the halls that the patients might 
hear, and I would sing for them. I frequently 
sang, "Must I go, and empty-handed ? " 



Home Again. 17 

There was a man there who had a cancer in his 
hand. He was very fond of music. Whenever 
they were about to dress his hand he would re- 
quest them to open the doors ^nd ask i: that 
little woman down stairs " to sing. It helped 
him bear the pain. The day I left the hospital 
he became very much dejected, and said that the 
light of the house had gone out. Thus the Lord 
gave me real service to do. 

The Sisters, under the direction of a physician, 
taught me to walk. They first straightened my 
lower limbs, then standing before me. they would 
hold out their hands, and teach me to take one 
step at a time, just as one would teach a baby. 
In this way I became able, several weeks before 
leaving the hospital, to walk around the room by 
pushing a chair before me. At the time I left I 
was able to walk by taking some one's arm. I 
walked from the hospital to my home, ^ly 
strength had gradually increased to this point. I 
left on the fourteenth day of May. 1880. Since 
my healing I have been several times to pray 
with the sick there. I was now able to walk per- 
haps two or three squares, but I was subject to 



18 Request to Dr. Cullis. 

severe paroxysms of pain, sometimes requiring 
two persons to hold me. 

Up to this time I had known very little of 
healing through faith in Jesus, and had never 
had confidence in it. A young lady in Erie had 
been healed in this wa} T , after having been for 
three years unable to walk. I heard her public 
testimony of the fact. As I was walking home, 
a friend who was with me asked me what I 
thought of it. I replied that I did not believe in 
it ; that I thought the girl could have walked 
before if she had tried. My friend said, " Now if 
it had only been you, Mrs. Thompson, there could 
have been no doubt, for everybody knows how 
you suffer." I said, When you hear of me being 
healed in that way } t ou may be sure I have lost 
my mind ; for I don't believe in it. This was the 
first case I had ever known, and I gave it scarce - 
\y more than a passing thought. 

One Sabbath, some time after returning home 
from the hospital, I was at the afternoon meeting 
of the Young Men's Christian Association, and 
heard a man from Boston who led the meeting. 
The subject was, Faith. He told of a woman in 



Request to Dr. Cvllis. 19 

Boston who had been healed in answer to the 
prayer of Dr. Cullis. I was so impressed with it 
that I determined to write to Dr. Cullis, and ask 
him to pray for me. I thought he had such 
strong faith the Lord would hear his prayer. 
After I had written the letter I had not the cour- 
age to send it. I laid it away in a book, and for- 
got it was there. One day my sister was at the 
house, and found it. She said to me, --Anna, why 
didn't you send this? It wouldn't do any harm, 
If I were you I would send it." I followed her 
advice, and received a reply from Dr. Cullis say- 
ing, " Wednesday afternoon at three o'clock we 
will pray for you. Pray for yourself at that 
hour." 

I looked forward to the time to see the effect 
of his prayer. I did not think I had anything to 
do. I thought if he prayed for me perhaps I 
might be healed, on account of his strong faith; 
but I had no special impression on my mind 
whether I should or not. I was not sure it was 
God's will. x\t the time appointed I did not feel 
any different. I tried to pray. I was looking for 
feeling, and as I did not feel any different i set- 



20 Request to Miss Carrie F. Judd. 

tied down to the thought that it was not God's 
will for me to get well, or I should have felt well. 

But I could not get it out of my mind. Some 
time afterward a tract was handed me to read, on 
which was a notice of Miss Carrie F. Judd's- 
meetings in Buffalo, with the information that 
persons desiring prayer, and writing to them, 
would be remembered in the meeting. I wrote 
to her. She replied substantially as follows : — 
" Thursday evening at half past seven o'clock we 
will pray for you. Lay aside all means, and trust 
the Lord fully, however sick 3-ou may be." 

On the morning following this appointment I 
was not able to sit up. I had been able to be 
around. I was quite sick all day, but felt a little 
better towards evening. I continued to pra} T , and 
followed Miss Judd's directions. The next morn- 
ing I got up and felt that I was well. I believe 
I was healed then, but I did not understand it. 
A friend called, and I told what I had done, and 
said, Why, I believe I am well now, I feel so well. 
Just a little while after I had said this I was 
taken with one of those paroxysms of pain. She 
said to me, " Mrs. Thompson, you certainly are 



Correspondence with Miss Judd. 21 

not well as long as you are having such pains as 
those." So I began to think I was not well, and 
accordingly was worse from that time on. 

After a while I wrote to Miss Judd again, and 
asked her if she had ever heard of any cases of 
cancer or any other severe organic disease healed 
in answer to prayer, or whether the cases were 
not generally nervous diseases. She replied that 
it was just as easy for the Physician I had em- 
ployed to heal a cancer as to heal the headache, 
if I could trust Him : and that the trouble was 
with nrv unbelief. She said they would pray for 
me again on Thursday evening. Before that time, 
however. I received a telegram from her, inviting 
me to come to Buffalo. She wanted to explain 
the way of faith more fully. My friends thought 
I could not bear the journey, but I felt that I 
was to go. I went on Thursday, reaching there 
m the afternoon. In the meeting in the evening 
they prayed with me, and Mr. W. L. Gregory 
anointed me for healing. 

The next morning when I opened my eyes I 
did not know where I was. I was rilled with a 
strange new joy. As I expressed my happiness 



22 Visit to Buffalo. Healed. A Test. 

to Miss Judd, she said, " You are healed." I said f 
Won't you say that again, Miss Judd ? She re- 
peated it, "You are healed." And yet, the words 
were so sweet that I could not be satisfied until 
she had said them for me once more, and yet 
again. I had such wonderful peace. I felt per- 
fectly well. Since I was a girl I do not remem- 
ber to have felt as well as I did then, i imme- 
diately decided to go home that day. Mrs. Judd 
(the mother) said, "If you feel that you must go r 
go, and tell what the Lord has done for you." 

I returned home on that day, Friday, October 
eighth, 1880, healed. It seems wonderful as I tell 
it. I sometimes get lost in thought over it. 
During the ride home I did not have a pain or 
get w r eary, though it had always tired me much 
to ride. I walked also from the depot, which was 
on Fifteenth street, to my home, on Twentieth 
street, without weariness. All that day and 
Saturday I felt so well ! 

On Sabbath morning the temptation came to 
me that it might be better not to say much about 
it until I was sure that those terrible pains would' 
not return* Then I thought I would tell it in the 



A Test Victory. 23 

class. I was a member of the Methodist Church. 
As there were but few in the class, I thought, if 
the pains returned, the reproach would be less 
than if a larger number had heard it. My mind 
was so occupied with this that I did not hear 
much of the sermon. After the sermon the min- 
ister said, "Although this is not the Sunday for 
it, I feel that we ought to have general class 
to-day." So he invited the congregation to 
stay. I knew what it meant. The Lord wanted 
me to acknowledge openly what he had done for 
me. 

Just as I rose to my feet I was taken with one 
of those dreaded pains, and the Enemy whispered, 
"Would you dare, with this upon you, to tell the 
people that you are well ?" The Spirit whispered, 
reminding me that I knew I was healed; 
but I thought. What about the pain? Then 
I thought I would tell the people that I was very 
much better, and expected to be entirely re- 
stored. I rose and turned round to the congre- 
gation ; but I said nothing that I intended 
to. I said. I stand before you a well women, 
healed in answer to prayer. The instant I spoke 



24 Called out into the Work. 

these words the pain left me, and I have never 
had a return of it since. I have often thought of 
this how the Enemy followed me up to the very 
last. If I had not acknowledged my healing 
then, I should not have been well now ; no, nor 
even living ; for the physicians had given me no 
hope. The pains were dreadful, and the attacks 
were growing more severe, so that I could not 
have endured it much longer. 

From that time I was called out into the work. 
People sent for me to come and pray with them. 
Whenever I had opportunity I testified what the 
Lord had done for me. I continued this work 
until I had the attack of pneumonia. 



Pneumonia. 25 

CHAPTER II. 

Healed of Pneumonia, 

The second Sabbath evening in March, 1883, I 
attended a class meeting in the church, and gave 
the account of my healing. I had been suffering 
several days with a severe cold, and was quite 
hoarse as I spoke. On the way home the Enemy 
whispered, i; It will do very well for you to tell of 
that, but what if you were brought to the very 
gate of death ? You think your faith is strong, 
tut it would fail then." It seemed as if I could 
almost hear a voice saying that to me. I replied, 
if ever ! as long as I have Jesus by my side. I 
was in such distress of body that 1 stopped on 
my way home at the house of a Mr. P., who with 
his wife was strong in faith, and desired them to 
pray with me. My lungs had begun to pain me 
severely. We three knelt together. While Mr. 
P. was praying, the words. " My grace is sufficient 
for thee."' came to me with much force. But my 



26 The Attack. The Poultice. 

faith was severely tried-. The Enemy said to me, 
" Didn't you say you were willing to take death ? 
Where is your faith now ? " I turned to the 
Lord, and said, Here I am, Lord ; show forth thy 
glory through this in any way thou thmkest best ? 
only don't leave me." The answer was whispered 
back to me, "Lo, I am with you alway." 

I went home and retired. All night I suffered 
and tossed, coughing constantly from the moment 
my head touched the pillow. In the morning a 
number of friends called, including my minister 
and his wife. They had observed my hoarseness 
at the meeting, and were anxions for me, desir- 
ing to send for a physician, or to relieve me in 
some way. 

The next day my sister, who lived in the city, 
came to see me, in company with a dear friend, 
Mrs. R. I was in great distress, and the}- pro- 
posed making a corn meal poultice for relief. 
Mrs. R. said, "Before we apply it we will pray the 
Lord to bless it." I said, is he not able to heal 
me without it ? I am willing to trust him for it. 
But if you will feel better satisfied to make it, 
do so ; and if the Lord will let you put it on, I 



Sick-bed Service. 27 

will. My sister went into the other room ta 
make it. While she was there the distress in- 
creased, and the Enemy said, " For your friends' 
sake you had better have it done. It would do 
no harm. If you die without a physician, and 
without anything done for you. your friends will 
be censured. Just think how it would, relieve 
you. The distress is more than you can bear/' 
It did seem as if I could not bear it any more, and 
I began to pray. I said. Dear Father, if this is 
your will, and you want it done, I only say, 
"Thy will be done.'' But I want the people to be- 
lieve that there is truth in divine healing. 

Just then sister came to the door, and said, 
'Mrs. R., I can't make it. but if you can you may." 
I said. Can't you let God have his own way ? 
for I am so glad to have him. Just as I said 
that, it seemed as though a poultice were laid on 
my lungs. It was so cooling. I can almost feel 
it as I tell it. All that tightness left me — the 
pain was gone — my lungs felt so comfortable ! 
I said, The Lord has got in before you, and re- 
lieved me himself. This was the only time my 
friends offered to do anything for me in that way. 



28 Jesus as Nurse and Physician. 

My sister said, "If she dies, it will be all right ; 
and I would not be the one to put doubts in her 
mind." 

My disease continued, and I coughed con- 
stantly. Though my friends were reluctant to 
leave me at night, I had them put out the light, 
and retire, after making the necessar}' preparation 
for my coughing during the night, I felt that I 
could trust the Lord more full} T in this way. 
Day after day people came to see me, all day 
long, sometimes two or three present at a time, 
some desiring a message from the Lord, others 
wishing me to pra}^ and lay my hands upon them. 
If I was coughing at the time any one desired a 
message, the Lord would whisper, "Rest." My 
cough would stop. I would close my eyes and 
rest, feeling so much relieved. Then I was able 
to give the message. It just seemed as if I was 
dwelling under the shadow of the Almighty. 
This promise came to my mind so much during 
that sickness, " He that dwelleth in the secret 
place of the Most High, shall abide under the 
shadow of the Almighty." It seemed as if he 
was standing by my bed. Some would come and 



Tasting Death. 29 

offer to pray with roe. I was always relieved 
after these prayers. I seemed to feel the very 
arm of Jesus around rue. and when specially 
distressed, I would say. Dear Jesus, hold me 
just a little closer : thank you. As 1 did so, 
I felt my precious Saviour draw me closer and 
still closer to himself. It was very real. Thus 
he was to me both nurse and physician. When 
I needed rest, it was he who gave it. and it 
was he who administered medicine by the prayers 
of those friends. 

My minister called one morning, and asked me 
if I did not think this was presumption. Pre- 
sumption to trust Jesus! I said. He replied, 
-Presumption to use no remedies. You do not 
know how sick you are.' ; I answered that I was 
willing to trust the Lord till death. 

At last the test came. It was evening. My 
friends were gathered around my bed. I could 
neither move nor speak, and every thing was 
growing dark. The voices of those who stood 
at my bed seemed as if far away. Then the 
Enemy approached, and said, -This is death. 
You said vou were willino; to take death, and here 



30 Vision of the Dark Waters. 

it is." I tried to pray, but found I could not. I 
was holding m} T Bible in both hands, but it began 
to slip from my grasp. I tried to think of a 
promise, but could not. One resort was left to 
me. I could think the name of Jesus. The 
moment that name came into my mind I found I 
could move and speak, and the voices of my 
friends drew near again. I now opened my Bible, 
and the first words I found were these : " There 
hath no temptation taken you but such as is com- 
mon to man : but God is faithful, who will not 
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; 
but will with the temptation also make a way to 
escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Cor. 
x:13. 

Immediately after this promise I had a vision. 
I have generally avoided telling this and the 
subsequent visions in relating my experience, as 
I have been unwilling to excite prejudice. But 
it was very distinct and real to me, and I have 
thought it best to record it as being a part of the 
Lord's dealings witl me. After I got the prom- 
ise it began to grow dark again, darker and 
darker. The Bible dropped out of my hands. I 



Vision of the Dark Waters. 31 

seemed to be looking into a dark tunnel. At the 
farther end was a faint, glimmering light, remind- 
ing me of the dim light of a candle in the distance, 
A voice said softly, -Keep your eye on Jesus." 
I fixed my eye on that light, and advanced. At 
the same time I heard the roaring of waters. As 
I watched the light it grew brighter and brighter 
until it was as bright as a gas jet ; and then it 
became perfectly light It was very beautiful, 
exhibiting all the colors of the rainbow, and 
appearing like an illuminated fountain. Then 
this disappeared, and I was standing on the bank 
of the river. The waters w T ere dark and gloomy, 
and the roaring I heard as plainly as ever any 
sound in my life. I stepped into the river, and 
felt the cold water dash up against my feet, and 
almost up to my neck. But I did not look down. 
My eyes were still looking straight on. During 
the vision I spoke to those around me of what I 
saw. I now exclaimed, Oh, look ! On the other 
bank of the river stood my mother and father, 
with two or three little children, also a young 
man who stood by father, and a young woman 
by mother. My mother had her arm around her, 



32 The Lord Restoring. 

They stood along the bank, father at one end,, 
and mother at the other. The young man resem- 
bled my brother, three years older than I, who 
was dead. Mother was seventy-nine years old 
when she died, but now her features were }*oung 
again. The company were beckoning to me. I 
heard music, and also a female voice w T hich said, 
"I am taking care of your child ; take care of 
mine." As I told of seeing the young woman, 
Mrs. R, who had been with me daily, minister- 
ing to my wants, asked, "What does she look 
like ?" As I gave the description she said, "Whj v 
that is Addie ! " referring to her daughter who 
had died. When I afterwards saw the picture 
of her daughter, the features proved to be the 
same. (See Note 2, p. 88.) 

When the vision disappeared I felt an arm, as 
real as any human arm, slipped under me as if to 
lift me very carefully. I felt it drawing me 
closer. Then a voice said, "Arise !" I immedi- 
ately sat up m bed and said, I am healed. The 
Lord tells me to get up. I asked them to bring" 
my clothes. After considerable persuasion they 
brought them, and I got up and walked out into 



Calls for Prayer. 33 

the other room, and sat on the lounge. I did not 
cough, and had no chill. After they had made 
my bed, I heard a whisper bidding me go back 
again. I did not question the voice, but obeyed. 
When I got nearly to the bed I became very 
weak, and began to stagger. As soon as my 
head touched the pillow I began to cough again, 
and I couched all night. 

All the next day people were calling and ask- 
ing me to pray for them. One man who had 
for years been an elder in the Presbyterian 
Church fell on his knees while the tears ran 
down his cheeks, desiring me to pray with him 
and set him apart to the Lord's service. He 
afterwards gave Bible readings in my home, and 
I had no better helper than him. 

I had also a call from our minister's wife. She 
had had a strange dream the preceding night. 
She thought she saw a crowd of people standing 
about our house. The windows in the second 
story were open, and she seemed to hear a female 
voice saying, "Pray for Mrs. Thompson at 4 
o'clock to-morrow morning." She looked around 
at the faces of the people, to see what the}' 
3 



34 Vision of the Tree of Life. 

thought of it, but she saw no smiles. All seemed 
to take it seriously. She was very much im- 
pressed with the dream, and said she was going 
to sit up and pray for me at that hour. I told 
her, however, to go to bed, and go to sleep, re- 
lying on the Lord to wake her up if he wanted 
her to pray for me. 

That evening my friends stood around my bed 
again, thinking that I was dying. They knelt in 
pra} r er. I had the same vision again as on 
the preceding evening, though differing in some 
points. I did not have the dark tunnel-like 
approach. The vision seemed light, and I saw 
it more plainly. There was no roaring of the 
waters, and the water did not dash upon me, or 
touch me. It was the same river, and the same 
group stood on the opposite shore, beckoning 
to me, and I saw their faces more plainly, but 
there was no voice speaking as before. I also 
heard strains of beautiful music. In addition to 
the company on the shore, I saw the tree of life 
with different fruits. They seemed to be of differ- 
ent colors, very beautiful. I also heard the sing- 
ing of birds. (See Note 3, p. 94.) 



The Struggle. Belief. 35 

When the vision passed away, I heard the voice 
again gently saying, -'Arise." I was very weak, 
but felt that I was to obey. My friends helped 
me up, raising rne from my pillow, and I dressed 
myself. I walked into the other room without 
help, and sat for about two hours, after which I 
returned to bed feeling very tired.- I suffered all 
night. I did not cough so much. My lungs 
were very tight, and as I was too weak to raise the 
mucus, it had collected through the night. In 
the morning between three and four o'clock I 
had a fit of strangling. My husband was lying 
on the lounge in the other room. Observing my 
distress he sprang up and exclaimed. " Oh, I 
can't stand this ! " 1 said, Lie still ; it is a 
struggle between the dear Lord and the Enemy, 
but the Lord shall have the victory. It was 
dreadful. I clutched the bed clothes in my dis- 
tress, and it seemed as if I should strangle to 
death. Present!}' I looked up and said, Lord, 
help me. I just thought it. I could not speak 
In an instant I coughed and thus obtained the 
needed relief. 

The minister's wife afterwards told me that in 



36 Healed from Pneumonia. 

the morning her little boy was taken with the 
croup, and that she and her husband got up to 
attend to him. All at once she thought of her 
intention to pray for me, and they both prayed. 
It was at the same time that I had the fit of 
strangling. 

About five o'clock I called my husband, and 
told him I felt that the Lord said to me that I was 
to eat breakfast with them at the table. At six 
o'clock I got up and dressed myself, walked out 
into the room feeling strong, sat down to break- 
fast with the family, and was up all day. 

At three o'clock in the afternoon a friend, Mrs. 
F., called. She was going to a missionary meeting 
at Mrs. R.'s on Twenty -second street. I told 
her I believed it was the Lord's will for me to go 
with her, and if she would wait, I would get 
ready. Being a woman of strong faith, she did 
not dare to discourage me. I went to the meet- 
ing. They were all frightened. I was ver} T pale, 
and they said afterwards that thev thought I was 
out of my mind. When I went in, a friend said, 
" Mrs. Thompson, don't tell us the Lord sent you 
here, for he don't do such unreasonable things.'' 



Attending Meeting. 37 

This was a great pain to rae. I needed encour- 
agement. I said, Dear sister, I am so sorry that 
you said that. There was a young girl there sit- 
ting on the lounge, the only one who looked as if 
she believed I knew what I was doing. There 
was a vacant seat beside her, and I occupied it. 
As I did so she took me by the hand and said, 
" Mrs. Thompson, I believe you are healed." Oh, 
how it did strengthen me when she said that! At 
these meetings I was accustomed to start the 
singing. The lady who led looked to me, and 
said. --Do }'ou think you can sing, Mrs. Thomp- 
son ?" I replied, Yes, and silently looked up to 
the Lord to give me just the piece to sing. I 
opened to the hymn, 

"All the wa}' my Saviour leads me." 
I led the singing through the meeting, and the 
Lord sustained me. 

This was Friday. On Sunday I went to church 
twice. The church was on Twenty-first street, 
one square distant. The Sunday following I did 
not go to church. My friends thought I ought 
to be careful, and this influenced me. I think 
if I had gone, boldly trusting, I should not have 



38 The Relapse. 

had the relapse which followed. On Monday 
forenoon I called at Mrs. P's. They were wash- 
ing, and I inhaled the steam, and as I was not 
fully trusting, my fears of a relapse were realized. 
By evening I was not able to sit up. I had a 
very high fever, soreness of throat, and pain in 
my back and limbs. My cough also returned. 
The disease this time assumed the form of t} T - 
phoid pneumonia, and was very bad indeed. I 
had more fits of strangling than before, being 
unable to raise the mucus from my throat. This 
attack, like the former one, lasted over two weeks, 
but my experience was very different. Then it 
seemed more like walking by sight than by faith. 
It seemed as if I could almost see the Saviour by 
my bed, and hear his whispers. Now it was all 
dark. But I was determined to trust him. 

I became very low. I looked into the faces of 
those who came into the room to see if I could 
discern faith in their countenances, but there was 
none. Even those who had strong faith seemed 
to have no hope for me. I asked one lady who 
was accustomed to pray with faith for the healing 
of the sick, if she could pray for me. She replied 



Death Approaching. 39 

frankly that she could not, and said that there is 
a time for all to die. I grew worse and worse. 
My lower limbs began to swell, and symptoms of 
approaching death were increasing. At my sis- 
ter s suggestion I indicated what disposal I 
wished made of some of my things. A friend who 
had been accustomed to lay out the dead called 
and desired the privilege of performing this ser- 
vice for me. A dress-maker, a friend of mine, 
called on the same day, and consulted me on the 
making of my shroud. Arrangements for m}' 
burial were made, in the selection of the hymns 
and the portion of Scripture, and in the choice of 
the minister to conduct the services. I chose 
Mr. Kummer, who formerly preached in Erie, but 
who was then settled in Fredonia. New York. 
His wife was one who had been healed by faith. 
M}' mouth and throat became sore, and I was 
growing cold. Cold sweat stood on my brow. 
I breathed with difficulty. The windows were 
open, and they were fanning me. My friends 
stood around my bed. Then I had a vision, very 
short, but very wonderful to me. I said, Oh, 
look ! It seemed as if I could see the Saviour as 



40 Vision of the Starry Crown. 

he sat upon the throne. He held up a crown, and 
turned it round, very slowly, turned it clear 
round. There were many stars in it — it was 
almost full of them, but it had one place where 
there were none. (See Note £, p. 96.) I said, Oh, 
I am going to get well, and have all those stars in 
my crown. Mrs. R. said, " Yes, you will soon be 
with Jesus, dear, and have that crown." I said, 
No, I have never done anything for him. I am 
going to live, and work for him, and earn it. 

This vision was on Tuesday evening, two weeks 
after I was taken sick. I then lay in a stupor for 
quite a little while, I don't^know how long, and 
afterwards began to get easier. This continued 
until the next morning, Wednesday, when a 
change came on. It seemed so dark. 1 had 
looked for encouragement in the faces of those 
who came in, but all looked sad. I found no look 
of faith for my recovery, I did not know but that 
my time had indeed come. I knew I had not 
earned my crown, I felt I had done veiy little for 
the Saviour, and had quite a conflict in my mind 
about it. I became discouraged, turned over on 
my side, and for the first time gave way to tears. 



Longing for the Fellowship of Faith. 41 

It was now about five o'clock in the afternoon. I 
longed to see some one with strong faith, and 
thought of Mrs. Kummer. but the Enemy told me 
it was impossible. I should be dead before she 
could be brought here from Fredonia. Besides. 
I had heard that she had gone to Akron, Ohio, to 
visit her friends, and might not be back for weeks. 
I answered b}~ saying, Dear, dear Jesus, }'ou know 
just where she is. You can bring her if you 
think best. It makes no difference. I have you. 
It is enough. I had m}' little Bible in my hand, 
and was stronghv impressed to open it. I opened 
to the following words: — "For the people shall 
dwell in Zion at Jerusalem : thou shalt weep no 
more : he will be very gracious unto thee at the 
voice of thy ciy, when he shall hear it he will 
answer thee." Is. xxx : 19. The moment I read 
that I stopped ciwing, and said. Yes, dear Lord, 
I believe what you say. I leave it all with you. 
Immediately the door opened and Mrs. K. came 
in, in compan} T with Mrs. R. Mrs. R. had gone 
home to prepare supper for her family, intending 
to get back as soon as possible. Just as she got 
inside her gate, Mrs. K. came, and met her there. 



42 "It was Wonderful:' 

In leaving Akron she intended returning directly 
home to Fredonia. But before starting, she was 
impressed to take the train for Erie, she did not 
know why. She did not know that I was sick, 
but she recognized it as the voice of God, and 
obeyed it. Mrs. R. on meeting her told her that 
she had just left Mrs. Thompson at the point of 
death, and that she might not be living on her 
return. They decided therefore to come immedi- 
ately to the house. 

Mrs. K. now prayed for me. I felt sure that 
the Lord touched me. I felt the touch. It was 
wonderful. A feeling of awe came over all who 
were in the room. But from that night, Wednes- 
day, I grew worse until Saturday morning at 
about ten o'clock. My friends did not think I 
could live. They were just waiting for me to die, 
almost looking for every breath to be m}< last. I 
was impressed to open my Bible. The first words 
I saw were in the prophecy of Nahum (i :12. 13): 
*' Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee 
no more. For now will I break his yoke from off 
thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder." 1 
said to them as they were standing by my bed, 



Healed. 43 

od means just what he says. I am well. I rose, 
lad them bring my clothes, and dressed myself. 
The cough ceased instantly, the soreness left my 
ungs, the diarrhoea stopped, and I did not feel 
ired at all, but felt as well as I do now. I got up 
strong, and was able to go out, and go an}'where, 
3o I think I have tested divine healing. 



44 Laying on of Hands. 

CHAPTER III. 

Opening of the Ministry of Healing. 



After the Lord raised me up so wonderfully 
from my cancerous affliction, I had calls in various 
directions to pray with the sick, and when I was 
called I went. The way in which I was led to 
lay hands on the sick, in addition to praying for 
them, was as follows: At the invitation of the 
secretary of the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion, Miss Judd, soon after my healing at Buffalo, 
came to Erie to give a series of Bible readings or 
talks, and was entertained at my home. While 
she was there a lady sent for me to pray for her 
healing. Miss Judd went with me. We both 
prayed. When Miss Judd lay ed her hands on 
her, the lady requested me to do the same. I 
hesitated, but this promise came to my mind: 
" These signs shall follow them that believe ; " 
" they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall 
recover." With this I felt at liberty to do it. I 



Life Work Decided Upon. 45 

knew that I believed. I felt, however, that Miss 
Judd, rather than myself, was the instrument the 
Lord used in this case. From this time I felt 
free to la}' my hands on the sick in praying for 
their healing. 

One day when alone with the Lord I began to 
wonder if this ministry of healing was the work 
to which he had called me. I asked him to point 
out his will to me, and promised that at any cost 
to myself I would follow just as closely as I could 
in the footsteps of Jesus, and that to an}' place 
where he would lead me I would go. Such a 
perfect peace then came into my heart that I felt 
that this was indeed my special work. 

While I was still in the room I thought, Oh, 
if I only had a home where the afflicted could be 
welcomed, and brought under the care of the 
great Physician ! Then I felt that at some time 
God would give me such a home. That day I 
went down to my sister's. I used to go and tell 
her everything. I told her I believed that some 
time the Lord would give me a faith home. She 
said. :; You are not strong enough. You never 
could stand it to go into such a home, and have 



46 First Thoughts of a Faith Home. Promises. 

the sick coming to you. You must not let your 
imagination work upon it. Don't think about it." 
My friends thought me quite imaginative, and 
inclined to build air castles. I said, Mary, I 
think I shall some time have a faith home. 

When I returned home I asked the Lord to 
give me some word from himself that should 
assure me that I was not following my own 
thoughts. I told him I would take w T hat he 
would give me. The word which I received was 
the following : Ezek. xii : 27, 28 — " Son of man, 
behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision 
that he seeth is for many days to come, and he 
prophesieth of the times that are far off. There- 
fore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: 
There shall none of my words be prolonged any 
more, but the word which I have spoken shall be 
done, saith the Lord God." Then I prayed that 
if it was his will it might be soon. In answer to 
this I received the following : Neh. i : 11 — u O 
Lord. I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive 
to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer 
of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name : 
and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, 



The First Dollar. 47 

and grant him mere}' in the sight of this man. 
For I was the king's cup bearer/' 

Not far from this time I received one dollar in 
a letter from a girl who had been healed. She 
wrote that it was all she had, and she desired to 
contribute it to my " Faith Home." Then the 
Enemy commenced to talk to me about it. The 
idea of her sending me one dollar! What would 
that be toward a faith home ? I had better send 
it back, and tell her I had no "Faith Home." But 
I went to the Lord about it. I took the dollar 
and my Bible, and knelt with them before him. 
I asked him to indicate to me if the dollar was 
sent by him for this purpose, by sending me one 
more dollar ; and I wonld then put both in the 
bank until he should give me such a home. I 
then opened my Bible for a promise, and received 
the words (Hag. ii : 8, 9), "The silver is mine, and 
the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The 
glory of this latter house shall be greater than of 
the former, saith the Lord of hosts : and in this 
place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts." 
That same evening the mail carrier brought me 
an envelope which was mailed at Mercer, Mercer 



48 Promises. 

County, Pennsylvania, containing one dollar. No 
signature, and no writing accompanied it, and I 
have never learned who sent it ; but it was the 
sign I had asked for. I deposited the two dollars- 
in the bank until the faith home was opened. 
Some time after receiving these two dollars I 
received two more from a iady at Miles Grove, 
Erie County, Pennsylvania, which I added to the 
sum already deposited. When at last the home 
was opened, I used these four dollars for muslin 
for sheets and pillow slips. 

For several weeks, at the time of receiving the 
promise of the home, I was waiting on the Lord 
about the matter. Sometimes I would feel a little 
discouraged at its being so long coming, and 1 
would ask the Lord for another word upon it. At 
one time I was thinking there would be so many 
sick coming to me that I could not bear the bur- 
den ; also that so many persons would be against 
me. 

The Lord gave me the words, 2 Chr. xx : 15, 
"And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye 
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jeho- 
shaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not 



Promises. 49 

afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multi- 
tude ; for the battle is not yours, but God's." 
Then on another da}-, with a similar request, the 
seventeenth verse of the same chapter was given 
me. " Ye shall not need to fight in this battle : 
set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salva- 
tion of the Lord with you, Judah and Jerusa- 
lem : fear not, nor be dismayed ; to-morrow go 
out against them; for the Lord will be with you." 
At various times also the following passages were 
given me : 2 Chr. vii : 14, " If my people, which 
are called by my name, shall humble themselves, 
and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their 
wicked ways ; then will I hear from heaven, and 
will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 

Ver. 15, "Now mine eyes shall be open, and 
mine ears attend unto the prayer that is made in 
this place." 

Ver. 16, "For now have I chosen and sancti- 
fied this house, that my name may be there for 
ever : and mine eyes and mine heart shall be 
there perpetually." 

These three verses just quoted were given me 
at different times. I had also the following: — 
4 



50 Promises. 

Ezek. xliii : 10, 11, 12, "Thou son of man, shew 
the house to the house of Israel, that they may 
be ashamed of their iniquities : and let them 
measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of 
all that they have done, shew them the form of 
the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings 
out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all 
the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, 
and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: 
and write it in their sight, that they may keep 
the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances 
thereof, and do them. This is the law of the 
house ; Upon the top of the mountain the whole 
limit thereof round about shall be most holy. 
Behold, this is the law of the house." 

Jer. xxxi : 8, " Behold, I will bring them from 
the north country, and gather them from the 
coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and 
the lame, the woman with child and her that trav- 
aileth with child together : a great company shall 
return thither." 

Whenever I asked the Lord about the home I 
would get a verse of this kind, which confirmed 
the hope he had given me. The last verse I got 



A Case in Warren, Pennsylvania. 51 

was this: 2 Chr. xv: 7, ' ; Be ye strong therefore, 
and let not your bands be weak, for your work 
shall be rewarded." This decided it. When I got 
this I felt that it was sure ; and my mind rested. 
Some time before the attack of pneumonia I 
met for the first time the wife of Mr. P., a Meth- 
odist minister afterwards located at Warren, Penn- ' 
sylvania. Mrs. P. had been an invalid for years 
with a complication of diseases. She had had 
some advice on healing by faith, on which she had 
acted, and had ceased taking medicines. She had 
not been sufficiently instructed in the way of the 
Lord on this subject, and as the result of the 
course pursued, came very near to death. Her 
husband, with whom I was well acquainted, fear- 
ing a repetition of this experience, desired me, 
when I called, not to introduce the subject of 
healing b} T faith. I told him I would not mention 
it if the Lord did not give it to me to sa}\ 
When I met the patient she herself asked me 
if I was not the Mrs. Thompson who prayed with 
the sick. I replied that I was, and that I would 
ask the dear Lord to give her rest. She asked if 
she must not give up physicians and medicine. 



52 Visit to Warren, Pennsylvania. 

I told her that I had nothing to do with that, 
and should simply leave it to her and to the 
Lord: but that we would pray for rest. I prayed 
for her and she did receive the rest. The Lord 
was dealing with her, and her mind was not yet 
prepared for any thing further. She continued 
to receive medical treatment, and on October 1882 
went to a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, where she 
underwent a surgical operation, and remained 
about nine weeks. Still remaining an invalid, 
she came to our house on Wednesday, March 
nineteenth, 1884. I prayed with her that even- 
ing, and on Saturday morning she rose, healed, 
her distress all gone. She remained with us until 
the following Monday. 

After returning home she wrote requesting me 
to come to Warren. This was about the same 
time that 1 was receiving the promises concern- 
ing the faith home. There were some sick in 
Warren that she wanted me to see, and she felt 
that it was the Lord's will for me to come. I 
went about the first of May, and expecting to be 
gone four days. I remained there four weeks, at 
her house. Her husband was pastor of the 



Visit to iVarren, Pennsylvania. 53 

Methodist church. His house was opened to 
receive the people, and they were coming daily 
for prayer. Some came distances of six and eight 
miles. Some were sick, some were burdened in 
heart. The Lord was present healing and com- 
forting. One who was present remarked that it 
seemed as if the pool was troubled, and that all 
they had to do was simply to step into the waters 
and be healed. 

The pastor had announced that there would be 
a 3'oung people's meeting Sunday afternoon, and 
that I would lead it, but on Saturday I felt that 
it was the Lord's will for me to return home. 
The pastor desired me to stay if possible. I told 
him I would go alone and ask the Lord about it. 
I received in answer to prayer the following word: 
Eccl. ix: 7, " Go thy way, eat thy bread with 
joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for 
God now accepteth thy works." As soon as I 
found it I went down and showed it to him. He 
went directly and hired a carriage to take me to 
the train. When I arrived at the depot I found 
a Mrs. R. there, a lady of Warren, who had been 
wonderfully healed of cancer just before I went 



54 A House Offered. 

there, and who had prayed with me for the sick. 
She was impressed to go as far as Cony with me. 
When we got to Corry we found a Mrs. K. there 
waiting for me. There had been a meeting with 
fasting and prayer that day at the church, and 
they had been praying that the Lord would send 
me to Corry. Expecting an answer to their 
prayer, she had come to the depot to meet me. 
We went up to Mrs. K.'s, and prayed for a num- 
ber of sick persons, and a number were healed. 

From Corry I went home. A few days after a 
lady called on me, to say that she had a house 
vacant for which she had been receiving twenty- 
five dollars a month, and that I could have it for 
a faith home as long as I wanted it, for twelve 
and a half dollars a month. A few days after 
that I received a letter from Mrs. P., of Warren, 
saying that the ladies there would pay four 
months rent, and furnish a room, if I could find 
a house to suit me for the work. 

The house was taken, and we moved into it on 
the third or fourth day of July, 1884. The dedi- 
cation services were in the afternoon and evening 
of the thirty-first. They were conducted by the 



The House Opened. The First Cases. 5§ 

Rev. Mr. Stratton. Among those who were pres- 
ent and took part in the services were the Rev. 
Mr. Painter of Warren, the Rev. Dr. Edwards, 
Presbyterian, of Erie, the Rev. Dr. Herron, Meth- 
odist, of Erie, and Mr. TV. L. Gregory of Buffalo. 
There was a large attendance. 

The first person who came for healing was a 
Mr. G., of Texas, who had suffered ten years with 
epilepsy. He came on the da}' of dedication , was 
healed on that evening, and remained with us 
four da}^s. Eight persons were anointed that 
evening, and all claimed their healing. 

About three weeks after the home was opened a 
Baptist minister and his wife came from Illinois. 
He had suffered for five }~ears with softening 
of the brain, and was given up by ph}'sicians. He 
was healed in four days. After his return home 
he wrote me that his physician and his nephew, 
both skeptical, were greatly moved by what the 
Lord had done for him. The physician called to 
see him, and pronounced him healed, declaring 
that something had been done for him which no 
human being could have done, and asked him to 
pray for him. The nephew made the same 



56 Chairs Furnished. Coal Needed. 

request, saying, " Uncle, I want just such a relig- 
ion as this." 

In the home we needed chairs. We had noth- 
ing when we went in but the furniture of our pri- 
vate home. Our chapel, therefore, was without 
seats. I went to the Lord about it one morning. 
That evening a gentleman called at the house, 
and asked how we were getting along. He 
wanted to know how a faith home is conducted. 
He said, " It seems to me that a house of this 
kind needs mone} 7 to run it." I said, Father 
attends to all that. It is his house, and we leave 
it all to him. We take charge of it simply as 
stewards. As he said "Good night," he slipped 
twent} T -five dollars into my hand. This was only 
a few weeks after the home was opened. The 
next week I received a letter from a lady in War- 
ren, which contained forty dollars to be used in 
the home. The Warren ladies sent us in all 
about ninety dollars in furniture and money. 

One Saturday we had only coal enough for the 
day, and there was no money. In the morning 
when my husband went to his business I asked 
him to order a load of coal. He said, " I haven't 



The Father s Care. 57 

theruoney; have you?" I said, No; but the 
Father has. He reminded me that it would be 
necessary to pay the driver when he should 
deliver the coal. I said, When he comes I shall 
have the money. The coal was ordered. I went 
to the Lord, and said, Father, we need the coal, 
and I have ordered it. Xow please give the 
money. Having left it with the Lord I dismissed 
it from my mind, and forgot all about it. 

The landlady was to call for the rent that day, 
according to agreement. I prayed the Lord that 
if it was not his will to give the money that day 
he would prevent her calling for it until the 
beginning of the next week. 

About noon a lady, a stranger, called at the 
house, desiring prayer for healing. She was 
healed instantly, and was full of joy. All pain 
and distress had left her. After she had gone I 
had occasion to go into the room, when I found 
on the table a five-dollar bill. After dinner the 
coal came. The price was just five dollars, and 
the money was ready. 

The landlady did not call that day. The next 
day, Sundav, as I was about to £0 to meeting in 



58 The Nest Disturbed. 

the evening, I met at the door the same gentle- 
man who gave the money which paid for the 
chairs. Seeing that I was going to church, he 
said he would not come in. He inquired how we 
were getting along. I replied that the Lord wa& 
blessing us, and that we were getting along 
nicely. He said he would call again, and as he 
shook hands in bidding me good-night, he again 
left in my hand twenty-five dollars. So we had 
double the sum needed for the rent. On Monday 
morning the lady came. She was taken sick on 
Saturday, and was compelled to postpone her call. 
In Erie, houses are generally rented on the first 
of Januaiy. When that time came the question 
naturally arose whether we intended to take the 
house for another } T ear. I was not prepared to 
saj T positively that we would. I therefore al- 
lowed the notice, To Rent, to be put out. I said 
that if the Lord wanted us to stay he would not 
permit the house to be rented by others ; and if 
he allowed it, this would be an evidence that he 
did not wish us to continue in it. For several 
weeks there was no application. The sign still 
remained out. Meanwhile I had received a call 



The Xest Disturbed. 59 

to go to Warren. I intended now to take the 
house for the year, but in going left no definite 
word to that effect, still trusting that the Lord 
would not permit it to be rented to any other 
party. 

I was absent perhaps two weeks. Before I 
returned, the landlady called and inquired if we 
intended to keep the house until spring. She was 
answered in the affirmative, and seems to have 
taken this answer to indicate that the house 
would be wanted no longer than that time. She 
had received an application for it, and the appli- 
cants desired an immediate answer. When I 
returned, therefore, I found that the house was 
rented, and that we should be obliged to leave it. 

Notwithstanding my determination to take this 
as the Lord's indication of his will, I became very 
much depressed about it. The Tempter charged 
me with neglect in not leaving word of my pur- 
pose before going to Warren. He told me that 
now I had broken up the Lord's work. I felt 
conscience-smitten and very unhappy. Then 
again he impressed me that it was not God's will 
for me to have a home like this : that the work 



£0 The Promise Renewed. 

was evidently stopped, and that I must be content 
to go back to my own home and simply visit the 
sick in a quiet way. It began to be very dark. 
But I said, I will go by the Lord's help to my 
own little home, and take in all that he sends. 
The house was small, so that we could not take in 
many at once. These temptations disturbed me 
repeatedly and much during the remaining time 
that we occupied the rented house. The landlady 
regretted my disappointment, and offered to make 
an effort to reverse the engagement; but 1 
requested her not to do anything about it. I told 
her the Lord had permitted it, and it was all right. 
During this time of trial I repeatedly went to 
the Lord with my anxiety, and repeatedly 
obtained relief. But the Accuser was very per- 
sistent and held with great determination the 
advantage he had gained against me, and it was 
long before I had the perfect victory over him. 
One day when the temptation came that the work 
must be given up, I went to the Lord, and asked 
him if this was really his will. I told him if he 
would give me some promise concerning it I 
would accept it as all right. To my comfort and 



Promises. 61 

relief he gave me the same promise that came 
with the first dollar contributed for the home, 
" The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith 
the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house 
shall be greater than of the former, saith the 
Lord of hosts ; and in this place will I give peace, 
saith the Lord of hosts." Hag. ii : 8, 9. So I 
knew that the Lord intended to give us at some 
time a larger home. 

One Sabbath evening, sitting with the matron^ 
I was very much cast down, fearing that I had 
sinned against the Lord in permitting the house 
to be taken by others. I felt that he was going 
to punish me for my carelessness in his service. 
Together we sought a word from him for my 
guidance and relief. We opened to the eighty- 
ninth Psalm, and received specially the thirty- 
third, thirty-fourth and twenty-eighth verses, and 
in general, verses twentieth to twenty-ninth. The 
verses specially given read as follows: Ver. 33 r 
34. -Nevertheless m}- loving kindness will I not 
utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness 
to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter 
the thing that is gone out of my lips." Ver. 28, 



62 Promises. 

" My mercy will I keep for hirn for evermore, and 
my covenant shall stand fast with him." The gen- 
eral passage begins with the words (Ver. 20), U I 
have found David my servant ; with my holy oil 
have I anointed him: " and closes with the words 
(Ver. 29), " His seed also will I make to endure 
for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven." 
The Lord very tenderly answered my fears about 
punishment, and his displeasure, in the following 
manner. When we had read as far as the twent\-- 
ninth verse, we were led to skip to the thirty- 
third, without any intention on our part, and 
without observing that the intervening verses 
deal with transgression and punishment. They 
were not given to me ; or rather they were thus 
distinctly shut out of the message as given to me. 
Afterwards w r e looked, read, and understood the 
loving kindness of the Lord. The omitted verses 
are the following : Ver. 30-32, "If his children 
forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments ; 
if they break my statutes, and keep not my com- 
mandments ; then will I visit their transgression 
with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes." 
These promises gave much assurance for a time. 



Removal to the Private Home. The Enemy. (33 

One other promise also was given me which 
brought me encouragement, and which is specially 
significant because it was afterwards repeated in 
very trying circumstances. It was the following : 
Ezek. xxx vi : 11. '-And I will multiply upon 
you man and beast ; and they shall increase and 
bring fruit ; and I will settle you after your old 
estates, and will do better unto you than at your 
beginnings: and }^e shall know that I am the 
Lord."' 

We moved down to our own house Friday, 
March 27. 1885. We had it dedicated to the Lord, 
and began meetings there. The Lord blessed 
us wonderfully, even more than in the other 
house. It seemed as if his smiles were on us 
from the first of our going down there. But there 
came a very severe trial of faith. Perhaps the 
advantage the Tempter had gained over my soul 
in the prospect of leaving the other house, pre- 
pared the way for the advantage he gained over 
my body in the sickness which I will now narrate. 

The house was papered the day before we 
moved in, and the room in which I slept was not 
dry. On Monday I was seized with symptoms of 



64 Typhoid Pneumonia Again. 

typhoid pneumonia, the same disease from which 
my great Physician had already once delivered 
me. The Enemy had come to contest the point 
once more. Fever set in, and my limbs, back, and 
head became very painful. Then the Accuser 
said, " It's plain enough that your work is done. 
You've come back to your own house to die." I 
was repeatedl} 7 , during the days of sickness which 
followed, much discouraged. One day as I lay 
thinking, I said, Dear Lord, if thou wilt give me 
some promise that I can hold upon, that 1 may 
know if my work is done, and I am not to get 
well, I will accept it. In answer to this the Lord 
kindly renewed to me the promise already men- 
tioned from the prophecy of Ezekiel (xxxvi : 11), 
"And I will multiply upon you man and beast ; 

and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I 

■ 

will settle you after your old estates, and will do 
better unto you than at }^our beginnings: and ye 
shall know that I am the Lord." 

I was very anxious at that time that the 
matron should believe that when God gave me 
these promises they were to be fulfilled to the 
very letter. So when I received this I showed it 



Very Sick Indeed. 65 

to her. She said, " Mrs. Thompson, do } T ou 
believe that will be fulfilled ? " I said, I do. But 
after this I became ver}- sick indeed, and began 
to think that perhaps after all my work was done. 
During the whole sickness, in fact, I had no 
inward light that I should recover. One day I 
said to the matron, I don't know but it is God's 
will for me to die. She replied, "What about 
that promise, Mrs. Thompson? If you die I 
never can have any more faith in getting promises 
in this way. What does that promise mean? " I 
was so anxious for her to believe that God speaks 
to his children in this way, and that nothing 
should be done through me to dishonor him, that 
I began to pray for my recovery. 

The prayer meetings had been continued at my 
request during my sickness. 

After the close of one of the meetings I 
requested Mr. C, who led the meeting, to come 
to my bedside. I was not able to speak above a 
whisper. My bedroom was just off the room in 
which the meetings were held. He came in. I 
asked him if he believed that I could be healed 
that evening — now, I said, now! and if, on that 
5 



66 Healed. 

belief, he would anoint me. Several others came 
into the room, among them another gentleman 
who had strong faith. I asked him if he could 
pray that I should be healed, now while they 
were praying for me. He said, "Mrs. Thompson, 
I will be honest with you ; I can not." I said, I 
don't want any one in the room to lay hands on 
me except those who believe that I can be healed 
now; for I believe that I can. I can unite with 
you for it. They knelt in prayer. Four persons 
laid hands on me, Mr. C, the matron, and 
another gentleman and lady, and Mr. C. anointed 
me. Then I said, Let us sing, 

"Praise God, from whom all blessings flow." 
I was compelled to whisper until they began to 
sing, when I joined with them, my voice was as 
clear as any of theirs. I could sing clear and 
loud, without any distress whatever. 

I cautioned them not to doubt on the way 
home, but told them to remember that the Lord 
had heard prayer, and answered it, and to expect 
to find me up and well in the morning. After 
they had gone I fell asleep, and slept sweetly the 
rest of the night. The next morning I rose 



Service Here and There. 67 

healed. I was quite weak indeed, but my 
strength gradually came to me. One of the 
gentlemen called to see me in the morning, and 
I went to the door myself to receive him. T 
immediately commenced to go out of doors. 

I now found that I was called out to a great 
man}' different places, sometimes by telegraph, to 
visit the sick. I had more opportunity to go 
than when I was in the larger house. All that 
summer, 1885, I was busy in that way, at home 
a few days, then out again. 



68 Correspondence. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Opening of the Work in Cleveland, Ohio. 






I had been long impressed that the Lord would 
some time send me to Cleveland. I found also 
from time to time that impressions in harmony 
with this were given to others. During my sick- 
ness after leaving the large house I received a 
letter from a lad} r of Canton, Ohio, who was at 
the house of a physician in Cleveland, requesting 
me to come to her. My sister replied to the let- 
ter, telling her that I was very sick, and adding 
at my request that as soon as it was the Lord's 
will I would come to her ; also that I was pray- 
ing for her for that which she had specially 
desired, strength to get home to her family. 

Then another letter came from her, saying that 
she was better, and thought that in a few days 
she would be able to go home. I had them prop . 
me up in the bed, and wrote to her myself a few 
lines. I told her that the dear Lord had laid me 



First Steps Toward Cleveland. (39 

aside for some lessons that he wished to teach 
me ; and that it was sweet to lie there and just 
talk with him. Also that if it was his will to re- 
lease me and have me come to her I would come. 
Soon afterwards she became strong enough to go 
home. I am sure from her experience, which she 
afterwards told me, that she was healed then ; 
but needed to have her faith strengthened, and 
to understand the tests to which faith is sub- 
jected. She afterwards invited me to her home 
in Canton, and I went in the latter part of May. 
1885. In the providence of God this lady was 
one of the important instruments in turning my 
steps to Cleveland. 

In the fall I was called to Cleveland to visit a 
lady who was sick. I was entertained at the 
house of Rev. Mr. Cory. He felt that it was the 
Lord's will that I should come to the city. He 
told me of the church-building at the corner of 
Ohio and Brownell Streets, formerly occupied by 
a Wesieyan Methodist church. It was then not 
in use, and he thought it could be procured for 
mission work, and offered to see about it. The 
da}" I started for home he drove by the church, 



70 Ohio Street Chapel. Rev. W. H. Wilson. 

and showed it to me. The moment I saw it 1 
was strongly impressed that I should some day 
be in it about the Lord's work. I felt so sure of 
it that I expressed my confidence at the time. 
Mr. Cor}' having learned that the house had 
been engaged by Mr. Lindus Cody for mission 
work, went to see him, and found that he had 
taken it for a year, and that Mr. B., a minister of 
the Wesleyan Methodist connection, was to 
engage in the work. The house, when we saw it y 
had been freshly painted in preparation for open- 
ing. 

I spent Christmas at Canton at the house of 
the lady already mentioned. At m} r first visit 
there, in May, I became acquainted with the Rev. 
W. H. Wilson, presiding elder of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church for the Canton district. Know- 
ing of this lady's recover}^ in answer to prayer 
he became much interested in my work. At this 
visit at Christmas I told them of the Lord's lead- 
ings with reference to Cleveland, adding, however,. 
that I did not think the time had yet come. 
Both of them were deeply convinced that the 
Lord was going to send me there, and both were 



Seeking an Opening. 71 

desirous to give me such assistance and coopera- 
tion as might be in their power. Mr. Wilson 
went to the city to see if he could find any suita- 
ble houses offered for rent. On his return he 
described what he had seen, but said, "It seems 
to me that Sister Thompson is not to go to 
Cleveland yet, but I believe that before long she 
will have a home there. I believe that is God's 
order." His whole heart seemed to be in it. One 
day he came over to the house and said he had 
been asking the Lord for a passage from his 
Word with reference to this projected home, and 
had received the thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah, 
commencing, "The wilderness and the solitary 
place shall be glad.*' In expectation that the 
home would be opened during the coming year, 
1836, he prepared, as an inaugural gift, a veiy 
interesting arrangement of thoughts, largely in 
Scriptural quotations, and presented them to me 
in fine pen-work, and nicely bound, as a New 
Year's token. {See Appendix.} 

The following summer a lady from Cleveland, 
Mrs. D., visited me in Erie with reference to 
healing. I told her how I had felt with reference 



72 Seeking an Opening. 

to going to Cleveland, and how the Lord had led 
me. Whenever I prayed with reference to it, it 
seemed as if I were in a home there. She entered 
into my feelings and convictions, and we prayed 
together that if it was the Lord's will he 
would open the way, and find me a house. While 
she was still with me I wrote to Mr. Cod} T con- 
cerning the chapel, saying that whenever the 
Lord should direct him to write to me with refer- 
ence to coming, I should be subject to the Lord's 
will. I did not know his address, but directed 
the letter as well as I could, and asked the Lord 
to carry it to him. It reached him, and he passed 
it to Mr. B., desiring him to use his own discre- 
tion about answering it. It remained unan- 
swered for a long time. 

At last, in the month of September, Mr. B. 
called on Mrs. D. with the letter to make in- 
quiries. Mrs. D. had on the same day received 
a letter from me, in which I wrote that I 
believed the time had come for me to see about 
finding a house in Cleveland. Mr. B., on learn- 
ing this, said, then he knew it was of the Lord, 
and requested her to write to me to come. 



A Bouse Engaged. Engagement Broken. 73 

They knelt together in prayer, asking the Lord 
to direct. 

On receiving the letter I came immediately to 
Cleveland. 3Ir. Cody told me I could use the 
chapel for the work, and invited me also to take 
an interest in the work at the Baden Avenue 
chapel. He took me to see a house on Sibley 
street. The rent was thirty dollars a month. We 
engaged it, offering to. pay the first month's rent 
at once, but the owner said it was unnecessary, 
and allowed us to take the ke}\ This was left, 
for convenience, in Mr. B.'s hands. 

I went home and prepared for moving. After 
I had commenced breaking up at Erie, and had 
partly packed my goods, a letter came from 
Cleveland. The owner of the house had called 
for the key. saying that I had requested him to 
do so. This was thought strange, but the key 
was given up. The owner then stated that he 
had let the house to another party at thirty -five 
dollars a month. This was a severe disappoint- 
ment. I had received a letter from a lad}' saying 
that if I could find a suitable house she would 
pay the rent for a year, and furnish the fuel. 



74 New Opening. 

But the Enemy now said, " Don't you see? You 
are not to go to Cleveland." Some persons in 
Erie also said this was the hand of the Lord, 
showing me that I was not to leave Erie. I said,. 
I don't know what it means, but I am sure the 
Lord wants me to go to Cleveland. I had already 
written informing the lady who had made the 
offer just mentioned, that I had rented the house. 
I now wrote to her of the disappointment, and 
left the matter of going to Clevelend in the Lord'& 
hands, asking him to show me his will by the 
impression he should produce on her mind. I 
requested her to give me her first thought, with- 
out reasoning and without considering my prefer- 
ence. She replied that she believed the obstruc- 
tion was of Satan, and that it was for me to push 
through it.- At the close of her letter she said r 
" Go to Cleveland." 

The next day I received a postal card from Mr. 
B., mentioning three houses, at the prices respect- 
ively of twenty-five, twenty-eight, and thirty dol- 
lars a month. I showed the card to those in the 
house, and said at once, The twenty-eight dollar 
house is the one we are to have. There was no 



Looking for the House, 75 

description, but I felt sure of it. That house i& 
the one we now occupy. 

I got ready and came at once to see about it. 
From the train I walked up to the chapel, hoping 
to meet Mr. B. there. The sexton lived there, 
but the door was locked. I was tired from riding, 
and hungry. The Enemy said, (i You see you 
have made a mistake again. You are not to come 
here after all, or you would not have all this 
opposition." I thought I would walk around, 
and see if I could find the house. I walked until 
between three and four o'clock, and returned to 
the chapel, very tired, thinking that if still unsuc- 
cessful I would go over to Mrs. D.'s, on the west 
side, and spend the night, returning home the 
next day. The door was still locked. I sat down 
on the steps to rest. While sitting there I said, 
Lord, what does this mean? I will never give 
up, for I know you sent me to Cleveland ; and I 
will trust you to carry this on in your own way. 
In a few moments Mr. B. came. He said he had 
just been looking at one of the houses, situated 
on Cedar avenue, that it was only a little way, 
and we would go over and see it. As soon as I 



76 Removal to Cleveland. 

entered the house I said, This is the house. It 
was the one at twenty-eight dollars. He spoke 
of another one, on Huntington street, but I told 
him I was sure of the Lord's choice of this one, 
and would look no further. I engaged the house 
at once, No. 74 Cedar avenue, and paid the first 
month's rent before I left. About two weeks 
later, in the month of October, 1886, we moved 
into it. 

While we were getting ready to move I re- 
ceived a telegram from Canton informing me of 
the fatal sickness of Mr. Wilson. I left the rest 
of the packing to other hands, and went immedi- 
ately. When I reached there he was dying, and 
was unconscious. He left a message for me, to 
the effect that a work was committed to me which 
no one else could do ; and that I must keep close 
to the Lord. It had been his hope to dedicate the 
home in Cleveland, but the Lord had planned 
otherwise. The last stanza of his new year's gift 
for the home proved to be a prophecy for himself. 

In Erie we had used a wood stove in our 
kitchen, but learning that wood is not generally 
used in this city, we did not bring it. I had one 



Supplies. "J J 

dollar, and intended to buy with this an oil lamp 
stove to serve us until the Lord should send us a 
stove. On leaving Canton for Cleveland I 
received from a friend the sum of twenty dollars, 
to be used as the Lord should direct. In the city 

I went to a hardware store, and found a stove at 
twenty-seven dollars. I prayed the Lord to put 
into the dealer's heart the price at which he 
should offer it to me. I needed also a load of 
kindlings for the furnace fires, and this would 
cost two dollars and a half. The man said to me, 

II Mrs. Thompson, I will tell } T ou what I will do. 
I will set up the stove for you, and furnish it 
with pipe, for seventeen dollars. I never sold one 
for that, and I am losing money on it, but some- 
how I feel that I must let you have it for that." 
Then I told him it was all of the Lord. After 
buying the kindlings I had fifty cents left, and 
bought some oil and a lamp chimne}'. There was 
no gas-meter in the house then. 

About the time we came I received a letter 
from a lady of Hornellsville. Xew York, then at 
Chautauqua, who had decided to come and stay 
with me a while, before returning home. She felt 



78 Meetings. 

that the Lord had so directed her. She came, 
and remained six weeks. The amount which she 
gave us furnished our table nicely. When the 
time came for her to return home she felt anx- 
ious for our future supplies. But a lady at whose 
house we called together desired me to accept 
five dollars, and on the Sabbath before she left, a 
lady who called left two dollars. At Christmas 
time we received a barrel, half of apples, and half 
of potatoes, twelve pounds of sugar, four pounds 
of coffee, one pound of tea, eight cans of fruit, a 
gallon of apple-butter, a turkey, a linen table- 
cloth and a dozen napkins, all from one kind 
friend whose generosity we had already abun- 
dantly experienced. A lady brought us two cans 
of fruit, another gave me a dollar, and another 
four dollars. Thus the Lord has continually pro- 
vided. 

In Erie our weekly meetings had been held on 
Thursday evenings. Our first meeting in Cleve- 
land was held on the same evening, October 
twenty-eighth. Only four were present, our 
sister from Hornellsville, the matron and myself, 
.and a friend who had called the preceding day 



Meetings. 79 

to introduce the case of two boys for healing who 
were nearly blind. After prayer for guidance the 
thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah was read in opening 
the meeting. The reader stated that it had been 
specially given him for this work during the da}\ 
Before many verses had been read I recognized 
the chapter. It was the same which was given to 
Mr. Wilson for us, beginning: "The wilderness and 
the solitary place shall be glad." On the morning 
of the same day a special message had been asked 
of the Lord by the same person with reference to 
the home. The following was received : Matt. 
vii : 25, "And the rain descended, and the floods 
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that 
house ; and it fell not : for it was founded upon 
the rock." The meeting was one of special bless- 
ing from the presence of the Lord. 

Wednesday evening was fixed upon as better 
for the regular weekly meeting, and the public 
dedication was held on that evening the follow- 
ing week. November third. It was led by Mr. 
John T. Dorland, a young minister of the Friends, 
who has since often led our meetings. Thirty 
persons were present. One week later forty were 



80 Meetings. 

present. Mr. W. L. Gregory of Buffalo, who 
anointed me at raj 7 healing from cancer, was with 
us at this meeting, and remained over a week. 
During his stay he anointed eight persons. The 
subsequent meetings have been smaller, but of 
much spiritual interest, and with growing faith. 
There have been a number of cases of healing in 
the city, and more in other places, in answer to 
prayers offered in these meetings. Prayer for 
other blessings also has been answered. 

On Friday, November 10th, while Mr. Gregory 
was yet with us, an afternoon meeting for the 
sick was commenced, and has since been regu^ 
larly held. It is freely attended also by others, 
and has been much blessed. The two boys who 
have been mentioned came with their mother on 
the afternoon of the Frida} 7 immediately follow- 
ing the Thursday meeting mentioned above. 
Their call was thus, in fact, the inauguration of 
the Friday afternoon meetings. All three came 
full of hope. A partial recovery of sight was at 
once observed, the subsequent improvement was 
constant, and in four months the mother testified 
that they experienced no further difficulty. The} T 



Blind Boys Healed. Progress. 81 

had been left in their blinded condition by the 
measles, the older boy when he was about two 
years and eight months old, and the younger at 
the age of three years and eight months. The 
older could see the light, but could not discern 
objects, while the younger could see a little bet- 
ter. Both seemed to be totally blind, or nearly 
so, by evening light. At the time of their resto- 
ration their ages were respectively twelve and ten. 
Our work has met with a deep sympathy in 
hearts prepared by the Lord for it, and we are 
full of confident hope in him. 



This sketch, as above finished, was prepared a 
few months after the removal to Cleveland, and 
has been in waiting to the present time, July. 
1889, for the Lord's pleasure concerning its pub- 
lication. His pleasure has now been made clear, 
and the little book is sent forth. 

Mr. John T. Dorland. of the Society of Friends, 
continued to give Bible lessons, with much ac- 
ceptance, from the first, though relinquishing, 
6 



82 Progress. 

after some time, the Wednesday evening meeting, 
and continuing on Friday afternoons until the 
close of the year 1887. Soon after this he 
removed from the city. 

At some time during the first year in Cleve- 
land, Miss Sarah L. Andrews became intimately 
associated with the work, giving Bible teachings 
on Wednesday evenings for some time before Mr 
Dorland's departure, and then succeeding him on 
Friday afternoons as well. This fellowship of 
service has continued to the present time. 

On the second of July, 1888, a Bible school 
was opened in connection with this work, in the 
large academy building, No. 156 Huron street. 
This building, occupied by Miss Andrews' private 
school, was free for afternoons and evenings. The 
Bible school has been continued, with instruction 
by Miss Andrews and others, on each afternoon 
except Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The meet- 
ings in the interest of healing have been held 
regularly on Friday afternoons and Wednesday 
evenings, and a gospel meeting on Tuesday even- 
ings has been added. On Saturday afternoons is 
held a sewing school, now numbering one hundred 



Progress. 83 

and sixty children, to whom a Bible lesson is 
also given. 

On Sundays a Bible class is held in the fore- 
noon ; and in the afternoon a class for street 
boys, one hour, followed by a general prayer 
meeting. In the evening a few young ladies have 
the privilege of the chapel for the instruction of 
some Chinese. 

At the close of the second year, October, 1888, 
Mrs. Thompson removed from the Cedar Avenue 
home to the academy building, which is furnished 
with accommodations for a family, and at present 
resides there. This change became important 
because of the distance between the two places. 

Those whose sympathies have been engaged 
by this story will be pleased to know that "sister 
Mary,"' Mrs. Beattie, more than once mentioned, 
has been in the home for more than a year, 
together with her husband and daughter, deeply 
interested and sharing in the work. 

The two "blind" boys continue to see. The 
neglect of their education hy reason of their 
blindness, together with a natural dullness, placed 
them both at a disadvantage. The older one has 



84 Progress. 

for some time been at the state school for feeble 
minded youth, located at Columbus ; and excel- 
lent reports are received of his progress. The 
other will probably soon be sent to enjoy the 
same privileges. 

During the time since this "Faith Rest" has 
been opened, now nearly three years, there have 
been many instances of God's blessing upon the 
prayer of faith for the healing of the sick ; and 
those who are engaged in the work feel strong 
encouragement in continuing it. 

The Editor, 



APPENDIX. 



NOTES 

By the Editor 



Note 1. The Message. Joel Hi : 13, 14. 
(P. 13.) 

The believing reader will easily undersand that 
the same gracious One who subsequently wrought 
the healing gave also this message. It was no 
chance text, even though it was not at the time 
understood. God does not so deal. 

The sickle is a harvest tool. " The harvest is 
the end of the world." Matt, xiii : 39 ; Rev. xiv : 
14-16 ; Mark iv : 29. The message points to no 
ordinary service of comfort to the needy, but to 
nothing less than what the words themselves 
declare, the approach of the great " day of the 
Lord," and the events of " the valley of decision." 
It promised the sick one that she should not 
only stand upon her feet again, but should be 
permitted to do some service for the Lord in the 
hastening of this great final event. The incidents 
86 



The Sickle Message. $7 

immediately connected aid in showing the Lord's 
meaning. What religious system was that with 
which she was surrounded when these words 
came to her? The issue between the Bride and 
the Bride's great rival will culminate in that val- 
ley of decision. Again, what took place when 
this disciple of Jesus attempted to act upon what 
she understood of the sickle service? One thirsty 
soul was drawn to her side by the influence of 
grace to learn something of the ways of Jesus, 
and then — came no more. Then the song that 
came, quite unintentionally, to this would-be 
reaper's lips, as fit to be sung in that religious 
house, was that sad one. " Must I go, and empty- 
handed? ' and when at last the disciple of Jesus 
was taken out, certain lips were made read}' to 
say that the light of that house had gone out. 
Rev. xviii : 4, 23. Jesus is the Light; and the 
humblest disciple may thus be the light-bearer. 
The Lord does not speak in vain. '-Blessed is 
she that believed; for there shall be a fulfilment 
of the things which have been spoken to her from 
the Lord. ' This also is true for all those who 
believe. 



The Vision of the Dark Waters. 



Note 2. The Vision of the Dark Waters. 

(P. 32.) 

If any are distrustful of visions, let thern draw 
near to God, and they will be safe from mislead- 
ing. God will interpret his own, and expose the 
false. There are indeed false visions, as there 
are false prophecy and false teaching. The test 
in every case is in the Word of God. Is. viii : 19, 
20. But even with this test those who are far 
from God are liable to be deceived, for " the 
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit 
of God," "because they are spiritually judged." 
1 Cor. ii : 14. Whether in visions or in an}- thing 
else there is no safety apart from God. The tree 
of the knowledge of good and evil does not yield 
safe fruit apart from the tree of life. But the 
Holy Spirit has expressly promised visions and 
dreams. Acts ii : 17. They are among the tokens 
of his powerful presence, and are therefore to be 
welcomed, examined, interpreted. 

Every thing depends upon the interpretation. 
For this we are to look directly to God's Word, 



The Vision of the Dark Waters. 89 

not to popular notions. "No prophec}' of the 
Scripture," and also no divinely given vision, "is 
of any private interpretation." 2 Pet. i : 20, The 
visions in this narrative certainly seem to be 
from the same One who wrought the healing. 
Their meaning, therefore, is to be sought in the 
light of the divine oracles. 

The crossing of the Jordan by the Israelites 
into the land of Canaan is not, as popularly con- 
ceived, a type of death as a passage to Heaven. 
This is plain the moment we observe the wars 
and other events which took place on the other 
side. The name. Jordan, the Descending, is given 
to this stream on account of its swift, rushing 
current, representing the driving activity of 
human life, whether religious or secular. But the 
conception of a river of death is in perfect har- 
mony with the Scriptural s}-mbol of a river, a 
stream of humanity moving on under some com- 
mon control. Its waters are indeed dark and 
gloomy. Nothing but the presence of Jesus can 
sustain the soul that must pass through. They 
are roaring waters, very threatening, uttering the 
authority of him who has the power of death, 



90 The Vision of the Dark Waters. 

that is the Devil. Heb. ii : 14. Death is the last 
enemy that is to be abolished, (1 Cor. xv : 26,) 
and so great is the authority of the Devil in it 
that he has succeeded in brow-beating the whole 
human race, compelling them to accept it as 
inevitable, and to make no effort to escape. 

Natural life approaching the grave is like a 
dark tunnel. To those who are unrenewed there 
is no light; but to the child of God the tunnel 
opens through to a light which is faint when 
faith is faint, but which increases as the eye is 
fixed upon Jesus, who is, in his own person, the 
resurrection and the life. "The path of the 
righteous is as the shining light, that shineth 
more and more unto the perfect day." But what 
is the significance if the perfect day comes before 
the dark river is reached ? Can the reader inter- 
pret and accept this wonderful privilege ? " In 
the way of righteousness is life; and in the path- 
way thereof there is no death." No death ! Prov. 
xii : 28. The grave does not legitimately lie in 
the pathway of righteousness. Jesus said, "Who- 
soever liveth and believeth on me shall never 
die." John xi : 26. " The law of the Spirit of life 



The Vision of the Dark Waters. 91 

in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin 
and death." He "is able to do exceeding abun- 
dantly above all that we ask or think." 

Then those rainbow tints as associated with 
the dark flood, how significant in the light of 
God's word ! The covenant of the bow in the 
cloud was given to Noah as a pledge against a 
future flood. Gen. ix : 8-17. The deluge in his 
day was a great flood of death, fit sequel to the 
ungodly flood of humanity with which the earth 
was already covered. Gen. vi : 1-8. He w T ho is 
the light of the world was received into a cloud 
out of our sight. Acts i : 9. The rainbow in the 
cloud, typically speaking, is the effect of his 
brightness shining out for our hope. The voice 
in the vision said, " Keep your eye on Jesus ;" 
and as the eye obeyed, the light developed into 
the prismatic beauties of that covenant glory. 
The flood, the dark river of death, was then 
powerless, despite all its raging. 

These roaring waters attacked the feet, as if 
seeking to destroy that standing in Christ which 
alone would make it possible to resist their 
power. The waves tossed themselves nearly to 



92 The Vision of the Dark Waters. 

the neck. Cf. Is. viii : 8; xxx : 28; Matt, xviii : 6. 
The neck, as sustaining the head, is, in Scriptural 
symbol, that by which headship is held up and 
recognized. Those who are self-willed are 
described as stiff-necked. In subjugation, on the 
contrary, the neck receives the yoke. Acts xv: 
10; Jer. xxviii : 14. The father fell upon the 
neck of his prodigal son, and kissed him, because 
he found himself restored to a father's relation, 
the headship of love, to his now penitent child. 
The neck of the Bride of Christ is beautiful and 
graceful, (Cant, i : 10 ; iv : 4, 9 ; vil : 4,) because 
from the depth of her being she delights in the 
headship of the Bridegroom. In the vision, 
therefore, the authority of the river of death 
aimed at the neck, as if to frighten this disciple 
from maintaining the headship of Jesus, whom 
she had declared she would trust even though 
death should come. 

On the other side were those who had crossed 
the river. It is only the redeemed who cross. 
The rest are borne down by the stream. The 
beckoning and the charge show that one interest 
includes those on both sides. The significance 



The Vision of the Dark Waters. 93 

of the charge is more than personal. The daugh- 
ter on this side, and the daughter on that, are to 
be cared for by the mothers. The weak on this 
side are to be helped by the strong, by those whose 
faith has grown through such trials as these. 
Rom. xv : 1; John xxi : 15. So those of weaker 
faith who have passed over, and who are waiting, 
with less understanding: than the stronger, for 
the Lord's final victory, are undoubtedly encour- 
aged by those whose spiritual sight has become 
more penetrating in the ways and purposes of 
God. Weak Lazarus reclines in strong Abraham's 
bosom. It would not be strange, also, if a mother 
addressed as in this vision should feel a special 
interest in the ministry of a daughter thus com- 
mitted to her. 



94 The Vision of the Tree of Life. 



Note 3. The Vision of the Tree of Life. 

(P. 34.) 

The difference between this vision and the 
former one is important. The authorit} T of death 
was now overcome. There was no dark approach, 
no roaring of the waves, and the waters made no 
assault, and imparted no chill. The voice was no 
longer heard, because, with death conquered, the 
heavenly mother Jerusalem herself is to come 
into union with her earthly child, the holy and 
beloved people of God. The tree of life with its 
various fruits (Rev. xxii : 2), was seen across the 
river of death. But the tree of life is not watered 
by the river of death. In Eden it was watered by 
the river of Eden. Gen. ii : 9, 10. In the new 
Jerusalem it is watered by the river of the water 
of life. (See also Ezek. xlvii : 12.) It is a tree 
that sustains eternal life for the whole man, 
including his bod}^. Eternal bodily life with a 
fallen nature would be an eternal evil. Hence 
the tree was cut off from Adam and Eve. Gen. 
iii : 22-24 But to him who through Christ over- 



The Vision of the Tree of Life. 95 

■comes the fall and its effects, the privilege of the 
tree is restored. Eev. ii : 7. In the vision the 
subdued authority of death lay between. There 
are three ways of encountering this river. First, 
the impenitent are swallowed up and borne down 
the stream. Secondly, the believer who has not 
conquered death wades across - for the believer 
who dies has precisely the same physical expe- 
rience in death as the unbeliever— but on the 
other side awaits a glorious resurrection. Third- 
ly, as in the types of the Red Sea and the Jordan, 
a pathway is opened for the victorious saint by 
the shepherd's rod and the ark of the covenant, 
and he passes through as if there were no such 
river. Ex. xiv; Josh. iii. He obtains the resur- 
rection change without dying. Rorn. viii : 11; 
John xi : 26. This is the promise of the vision. 
It was not for her alone who saw it. Her happy 
lot is to minister to others. All things are possi- 
ble to him that believeth. It is sn imitation and 
privilege to be laid hold of by faith, not to be 
idly assumed merely because it is promised. 



96 The Vision of the Starry Crown. 



Note 4. The Vision of the Starry Crown. 

(P. 40.) 

The popular notion that converts are stars in 
the crowns of those who win them is not found 
in the Scriptures. The only crown of stars there 
mentioned is that upon the head of the sun- 
clothed woman who gives birth to the man-child 
who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron. 
Rev. xii. Stars, instead of representing converts, 
represent those who win many to righteousness 
(Dan. xii : 3), and those whom the Saviour em- 
ploys as messengers or ministers to his churches. 
Rev. i : 16, 20. The suffering church, when she 
has conceived Christ within her, and is longing 
for his triumphant birth in the power of the last 
days, reigns, not by her own decrees or her own 
ministry, but by a ministry appointed and power- 
fully furnished by Christ himself. She does not 
hold the crown in her own hand. She is not the 
manager. It is on her head, and her Head is 
Christ. The prophecy of Isaiah (lxii : 3), with a 



The Vision of the Starry Croicn. 97 

slightly different figure, makes her to be, herself, 
" A crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and 
a royal diadem in the hand of" her i; God." That 
is, he reigns by her because in her, and he reigns 
by holding in his hand, his right hand, the stars 
that he sends to her. Rev. i : 20. This is where 
the crown was seen in the vision, in the Saviour's 
hand, as he sat upon the throne, the place of 
kingly rule. 

He turned the crown slowly around to show, 
first, that he already has with him many reigning 
ones; (Matt, xxvii : 53; Rev. iii : 21; iv : 4; xx : 4;) 
secondly, that there is a lack in his ministry, 
(Eph.iv : 11-16 ; 1 Cor. xii ;) and, thirdly, that he 
intends to make up this lack, and bring his king- 
dom to -its completion. "The end of all things is 
at hand." In the early da}'s of the Holy Spirit's 
presence the Lord had an apostolic ministry 
endued with authority and power from heaven. 
At the present time there is a place vacant in the 
crown. Such a ministry is wanting. But, in 
accordance with the promise of the Holy Spirit 
for the last days, it is to be revived. The regal 
power of the ascended Jesus is to come into full 
7 



98 The Vision of the Starry Crown. 

exercise in his real church, now hidden and de- 
spised; and "then cometh the end." 

The personal bearing of this vision upon the 
one to whom it was given is evidently this, that 
she is to have a happy part in the hastening of 
this glory, and is to share Zion's honor at the 
hand of her Lord. All this is conditioned upon 
faith and faithfulness. But the river of the water 
of life flows freely for all, and whosoever thirsts, 
let him drink even here. 



99 



REV, W, H, WILSON'S 



INAUGURAL GIFT 



FOR THE 



CLEVELAND HOME, 



101 



OUR NEW YEAR'S OFFERING 



TO 



MRS. ANNA L THOMPSON 



IN 



Her Work of Faith, 
Labor of Love, 

AND 

Patience of Hope, 



W, H. WILSON. 
F. S. WILSON. 



Rev. W. H. Wilson's Inaugural Gift 103 



TIME'S GOLDEN CHAIN. 



New Name. 

JUNK. 
Rev iii. 12. 



I 



New Food. 

MAY. 
1 Pet ii: 2. 



New Song 

APRIL. 

Psa. xl : 3 



New Tongue. 

MA RCH. 
Mark xvi : 17. 



New Heart. 
FEBRUARY. 
Ezek. xxxvi:26, 






New Creation. 
JANUARY. 
2 Cor. v: 17. 



New Covenant. 

JULY. 

Heb. viii : 8. 



New 
Commandment, 

AUGUST. 
John xiii • 34. 



OPEN DOOR" 



I 



New Way. 

SEPTEMBER. 

Isa. xliii: 19. 



1886. 



Joel ii : 26, 28. 



New Mercies. 
OCTOBER. 
Lam. iii: 23. 



I 



" Behold, I make 
all things new! 1 



New Fruit. 
NOVEMBER. 
Ezek. xlvii:12. 



New Home. 
DECEMBER. 
Rev. xxi : 1. 




ACTS 
i : 7. 






Rev. W. H. Wilsons Inaugural Gift. 105 



THE COMING YEAR. 



" Is the work difficult ? 

Jesus directs thee ; 
Is the path dangerous ? 

Jesus protects thee. 
Pear not and falter not, 

Let the Word cheer thee ; 
All through the coming year 

He will be with thee." 

F. R Haver gal. 



Rev. W. H. Wilsons Inaugural Gift. 107 



OUR LETTER OF INCENSE 

FOR 

YOUR HOME ALTAR. 



Grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied unto all 
the dear suffering ones who seek the healing r 
saving, comforting balm of our good and great 
Physician through your consecration, faith and 
prayers. May the rich aroma of heavenly breath- 
ing, and the sweet atmosphere of divine rest, 
spread through all the rooms of the sanctuar}' of 
3'our home. May He, the divine Comforter, nestle 
all its inmates under his wings, and cover them 
with his feathers, ministering health to the sick, 
sleep to the restless, hope to the despairing, and 
joy to the sorrowing. 



108 Rev. W. H. Wilson 1 s Inaugural Gift. 



FIRE FOR THE ALTAR. 



The God that answereth by fire, let him be God. 
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy 
Ghost and with power, who went about doing 
good, and healing all that were oppressed of the 
Devil, for God was with him. Is anything too 
hard for the Lord ? Your faith should not stand 
in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 
Said I not unto thee that if thou wouldest believe 
thou shouldest see the glory of God ? In the 
lifeless body of Lazarus was death swallowed up 
in victory, for he was made alive by the word of 
Jesus. All the promises of God in him are yea, 
and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 
He healeth all thy diseases, He forgiveth all thine 
iniquities, and redeemeth thy life from death. 
The prayer of faith shall save the sick, sanctify, 
and heal. Praise God ! 



Rev. W. H. Wilsons Inaugural Gift. \Q<y 

OPEN VISIONS 

In the Glass of God's Glory. 

Holy Bible. 



Abide in me, and I in you. 

Name shall be called. Wonderful. 

Nothing for God to help. 

A new commandment I give unto thee. 

•Love them as I have loved you. 

Testify the gospel of the grace of God. 

Holiness unto the Lord. 

Open door of faith be given me. 

Mystery of faith in good conscience. 

Power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. 

Secret of the Lord is with them that fear him. 

Offer the sacrifice of praise continually. 

Now unto him that is able to keep you from 
falling, and to present you faultless before the 
throne of his glory with exceeding joy, to 
him be glory for ever. Amen. 



Ill 



FULL ASSURANCE. 



How safe I ain ! The eternal God 
Has pledged himself for my defense ; 

31)' Rock, my Shield, my Sure Abode : 
My Refuge is Omnipotence. 

Thus, sheltered by the Almighty Arm. 

I rest secure from every harm. 

How safe I am if death should come 
And quickly summon me away ! 

Welcome the hour that calls me home 
To the bright realms of endless day. 

Death is the portal to the sky — 

How gladly will I soar on high ! 



JESUS A PHYSICIAN. The Experience 

of Mrs. Anna L. Thompson. 

Price: Cloth boards 50 cts. 

" flexible 45 " 

Paper 30 " 

Sent by mail on receipt of price. 
Address Mrs. Anna L. Thompson, Faith Rest, 
Cleveland, Ohio. 



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